Will the tablet replace the PC

[LittleJay]

I certainly hope that the option to buy/build a PC will always be available. I like my 25" screen for easy on the eyes viewing and a keyboard for easy data entry.

 

[whs]

Coke, the problem is physical size. When the wife bought her first laptop (without discussing it with me), she got a 14". I hated the thing because of the small screen. It is a bit better on the 15 or 17" laptops but not as comfy as my 22" desktop screen.

You can, of course, make a 22" tablet. But is this then still a tablet or a piece of real estate. 7" ot 10" tablets are fine for retrieving a bit of information, playing a quick video or music piece or making a VoIP phone call. But even posting on the forums is a pain - maybe I am too old for that stuff (Lee thinks I am, LOL).

 

[Coke Robot]

Coke, the problem is physical size. When the wife bought her first laptop (without discussing it with me), she got a 14". I hated the thing because of the small screen. It is a bit better on the 15 or 17" laptops but not as comfy as my 22" desktop screen.

You can, of course, make a 22" tablet. But is this then still a tablet or a piece of real estate. 7" ot 10" tablets are fine for retrieving a bit of information, playing a quick video or music piece or making a VoIP phone call. But even posting on the forums is a pain - maybe I am too old for that stuff (Lee thinks I am, LOL).

A 22 inch tablet is basically an AIO, kind of like the Sony Tap 10 I believe it's called.

That's the thing right there, you have a smaller laptop but compromise screen size. A tablet PC does the same as well, but thing about it being a PC means you have that option to get an external monitor wired or wirelessly attached to it, add on a wireless keyboard, and/or a mouse, and BAM! Desktop PC! Take those off, BAM! Tablet PC! In the case with the Surface Pro and its keyboard, click on of those on, BAM! Laptop PC!

 

[Coke Robot]

I certainly hope that the option to buy/build a PC will always be available. I like my 25" screen for easy on the eyes viewing and a keyboard for easy data entry.

I would love EVERY PC form factor to be a build your own....

 

[whs]

Point is that I really don't need all those BAMs. When I am in my house, I use the desktop and when I am on the road, I really don't want to be bothered. I carry my Nexus 7 mainly for navigation and phone calls and maybe showing other people some pictures. And on a very rare occasion I check my mail or run some entertainment.

 

[Ray8]

Every person that I know who has a tablet, also has a desktop and uses both, and none of them are IT pros or the like. The tablet is used either for very specific tasks or situations primarily, and social stuff, and the desktop when a keyboard, mouse and large screen are important.

I could think of nothing more tedious and painful than having to regularly connect my tablet to a keyboard, mouse, two screens (if possible), router, speakers, video card and a bunch of other things, every time that I wanted to use a desktop. In that scenario, you already have a desk set up to hold all of those peripherals, so having a PC permanently attached to those peripherals is easier, more convenient and incurs little extra cost.

 

[whs]

Yeah right. On my desktop apart from the network gear and the mouse and keyboard I have 4 external disks (USB2, USB3 and eSata), a couple of USB sticks, 2 printers, speakers, mic and a USB hub for occasional attachment of my cameras, tablet etc. Would be quite a job to attach all that stuff every time I would want 'desktop mode'.

 

[Coke Robot]

Point is that I really don't need all those BAMs. When I am in my house, I use the desktop and when I am on the road, I really don't want to be bothered. I carry my Nexus 7 mainly for navigation and phone calls and maybe showing other people some pictures. And on a very rare occasion I check my mail or run some entertainment.

The point is that others don't. Some would rather have all those BAMS! over having to have separate BAMS! It saves money.

 

[Coke Robot]

Every person that I know who has a tablet, also has a desktop and uses both, and none of them are IT pros or the like. The tablet is used either for very specific tasks or situations primarily, and social stuff, and the desktop when a keyboard, mouse and large screen are important.

I could think of nothing more tedious and painful than having to regularly connect my tablet to a keyboard, mouse, two screens (if possible), router, speakers, video card and a bunch of other things, every time that I wanted to use a desktop. In that scenario, you already have a desk set up to hold all of those peripherals, so having a PC permanently attached to those peripherals is easier, more convenient and incurs little extra cost.

That's why you get a dock or hub, such as one that Dell has for their enterprise tablet PCs, or just go all wireless on a USB hub.

 

[Ray8]

I have a notebook with a dock and it in no way compares to a fully connected, by wires, system. Nor will any current tablet, in any way, equal a current even moderately powerful PC.

 

[Coke Robot]

I have a notebook with a dock and it in no way compares to a fully connected, by wires, system. Nor will any current tablet, in any way, equal a current even moderately powerful PC.

Ok, this is one of my personal peeves when people use PC instead of desktop....

Anyways, obviously, no tablet will get close to processing power to a desktop. No one every mentioned otherwise.

But even that, that bridge might get gapped some as there are some external graphics systems out there as well as the Razer gaming tablet that I believe carries an external graphics card in its dock.

 

[davehc]

Regarding the last few posts. I finally got around to dipping into my very limited budget, and upgrading. As it happened, I bought a Dell laptop, which had very similar hardware and performance ratings to my two year old desktop.. Both are similar vintage and with very similar hardware.. With the Laptop, came a docking station.
I would have little use for four ext HDs (presumably all plugged in ?. My mind boggles!). But I do have a colour and a B/W laser plugged in, plus the usual mouse and keyboard, and superior audio equipment.. All of these are connected to my docking station, together with the Ethernet connection to my router.
Frankly, I know I could do better, with a desktop upgrade, but, on visual observation, my Laptop out performs the desktop. No, Quote, " Would be quite a job to attach all that stuff every time I would want 'desktop mode'.", is required. Click and the Laptop is connected.
I do have moderate requirements for performance, but, so far, I have not found it essential to use the Desktop for my work.
The only thing which I will miss, id the fascinating hobby of updating hardware by physically changing components. Other than that, I am almost prepared to give up the desktop entirely.

 

[Coke Robot]

Regarding the last few posts. I finally got around to dipping into my very limited budget, and upgrading. As it happened, I bought a Dell laptop, which had very similar hardware and performance ratings to my two year old desktop.. Both are similar vintage and with very similar hardware.. With the Laptop, came a docking station.
I would have little use for four ext HDs (presumably all plugged in ?. My mind boggles!). But I do have a colour and a B/W laser plugged in, plus the usual mouse and keyboard, and superior audio equipment.. All of these are connected to my docking station, together with the Ethernet connection to my router.
Frankly, I know I could do better, with a desktop upgrade, but, on visual observation, my Laptop out performs the desktop. No, Quote, " Would be quite a job to attach all that stuff every time I would want 'desktop mode'.", is required. Click and the Laptop is connected.
I do have moderate requirements for performance, but, so far, I have not found it essential to use the Desktop for my work.
The only thing which I will miss, id the fascinating hobby of updating hardware by physically changing components. Other than that, I am almost prepared to give up the desktop entirely.

There you are!

Basically, that's what I'm talking about kind of. Progress of technology is getting to the point where the desktop PC is basically mobile, it depends on the software to enable it. Instead of having certain things wired everywhere and all internal in a box, it's becoming wireless and external, such as tablet/laptop docks. It depends on how you're currently using the device. When you're out and on the go, the dock wouldn't be needed, battery life is more important basically. When you're at work or home, the dock is needed because you can get a better setup going when you're not mobile.

The way I see it, it's more like taking the parts of a desktop PC and mobilizing/externalizing them into a mobile motherboard.

 

[Ray8]

Regarding the last few posts. I finally got around to dipping into my very limited budget, and upgrading. As it happened, I bought a Dell laptop, which had very similar hardware and performance ratings to my two year old desktop.. Both are similar vintage and with very similar hardware.. With the Laptop, came a docking station.
I would have little use for four ext HDs (presumably all plugged in ?. My mind boggles!). But I do have a colour and a B/W laser plugged in, plus the usual mouse and keyboard, and superior audio equipment.. All of these are connected to my docking station, together with the Ethernet connection to my router.
Frankly, I know I could do better, with a desktop upgrade, but, on visual observation, my Laptop out performs the desktop. No, Quote, " Would be quite a job to attach all that stuff every time I would want 'desktop mode'.", is required. Click and the Laptop is connected.
I do have moderate requirements for performance, but, so far, I have not found it essential to use the Desktop for my work.
The only thing which I will miss, id the fascinating hobby of updating hardware by physically changing components. Other than that, I am almost prepared to give up the desktop entirely.

You have been able to get very powerful laptops for some time, Alienware created some powerful laptops with excellent graphics capabilities, but they were heavy buggers. I still have an Acer 19" laptop (I use that word loosely) that was as powerful and as heavy, as most desktops at the time. Laptop docking stations have been commensurately comprehensive in some circumstances, but you will not get that sort of system with a tablet, as there is no call. Few would look at attempting heavy duty work with the processing power of a tablet.

There is another aspect to consider with the all in ones, laptops included. If something goes amiss, you lose the lot and that has happened to me several times with laptops. With a desktop, if a screen goes, you may have another or it's easy to replace the broken one. If a graphic card goes, it's no effort to get a new one. If a hard drive goes, easy to replace. You can't do anything like that with most tablets, Surface especially, you just toss the lot and get a new one.

While tablets are all the rage at the moment, people will start to realise that they are as prone to breakages as mobile phones and not always easy or worthwhile to fix. And at $500-$1000+ to replace, that can become very costly, laptops are still a lot cheaper. So the desktop will still remain as the reliable and stalwart antique that keeps on working through adversity.

 

[davehc]

Point taken. I do think though, it could be a hit or miss thought, similar to when you jump into your car for the daily drive to work. You could have an accident, the odds are stacked against it, however. I have been using laptops, ad had daily access to others, for many years. The number of unrepairable failures has been minimal. However, possibly a poor comparison, my daily encounters with Desktop nerds (that isn't meant rudely - I am one!), leads me to think that the money spent on constant upgrades to their hardware, to meet modern technology would, in many cases, cover the cost of a periodic update/renewal, of their laptops.

fwiw. By coincidence, I once owned an Acer 21 inch. Big mistake!, it was hardly a laptop. but it had serious inherent overheating errors on the graphic's chip, which eventually led to a breakdown. Maybe the 19 inch faired better? Even today, where I live, you can pick up the 21 inch, s/h, for a song, marked down as a having a faulty graphics chip.

 

[Coke Robot]

Regarding the last few posts. I finally got around to dipping into my very limited budget, and upgrading. As it happened, I bought a Dell laptop, which had very similar hardware and performance ratings to my two year old desktop.. Both are similar vintage and with very similar hardware.. With the Laptop, came a docking station.
I would have little use for four ext HDs (presumably all plugged in ?. My mind boggles!). But I do have a colour and a B/W laser plugged in, plus the usual mouse and keyboard, and superior audio equipment.. All of these are connected to my docking station, together with the Ethernet connection to my router.
Frankly, I know I could do better, with a desktop upgrade, but, on visual observation, my Laptop out performs the desktop. No, Quote, " Would be quite a job to attach all that stuff every time I would want 'desktop mode'.", is required. Click and the Laptop is connected.
I do have moderate requirements for performance, but, so far, I have not found it essential to use the Desktop for my work.
The only thing which I will miss, id the fascinating hobby of updating hardware by physically changing components. Other than that, I am almost prepared to give up the desktop entirely.

You have been able to get very powerful laptops for some time, Alienware created some powerful laptops with excellent graphics capabilities, but they were heavy buggers. I still have an Acer 19" laptop (I use that word loosely) that was as powerful and as heavy, as most desktops at the time. Laptop docking stations have been commensurately comprehensive in some circumstances, but you will not get that sort of system with a tablet, as there is no call. Few would look at attempting heavy duty work with the processing power of a tablet.

There is another aspect to consider with the all in ones, laptops included. If something goes amiss, you lose the lot and that has happened to me several times with laptops. With a desktop, if a screen goes, you may have another or it's easy to replace the broken one. If a graphic card goes, it's no effort to get a new one. If a hard drive goes, easy to replace. You can't do anything like that with most tablets, Surface especially, you just toss the lot and get a new one.

While tablets are all the rage at the moment, people will start to realise that they are as prone to breakages as mobile phones and not always easy or worthwhile to fix. And at $500-$1000+ to replace, that can become very costly, laptops are still a lot cheaper. So the desktop will still remain as the reliable and stalwart antique that keeps on working through adversity.

What would be the difference between an Alienware laptop and a tablet PC if the tablet had the same processing hardware? There haven't been many docks for tablets, as the ones with Windows 8 that do are mainly enterprise tablets. There is one in particular, I forget the brand name, but it basically had all sorts of addons to get Ethernet or a card reader or several USB ports and/or an extra battery.

Also, from experience, it's actually pretty easy to fix laptops and AIOs. I'm currently waiting on confirmation on a screen replacement for an HP AIO PC. I had to recently do a total disassembly of it to get the screen out and find the part number. It was actually quite simple, just unscrew the many screws, lift the motherboard tray out (after getting the cables disconnected) and then lift the screen off the bezel. AIOs are real easy to fix. Laptops as well if you know what you're doing. If the screen goes out on one, you have to disassemble the lot and rip off the bezel and unscrew it off. Replace and reassemble. I'd say the process is tedious at time but totally possible. Even with my Nokia Lumia 900, it was actually REALLY easy to replace the screen on it. All I had to do was pull out the screen pin, pop the screen off, unscrew like 10 or so screws, pull the metal chassis out and cables off, and put the new screen in. Also, if a graphics chip goes on a laptop, that's usually it for the motherboard UNLESS if it's dedicated. Usually if it's an AMD APU based laptop, then it would be just the APU that needs replacing, real easy to do. It seems on APU based laptops, there is usually a dedicated card in a Radeon graphics hybrid setup.

In all honesty, when you send a laptop to get repaired, that's what happens, it gets repaired by a tech that hopefully has enough skill to accomplish the task well enough. The device isn't replace unless if needed.

But in the case with the Surface, that's not incredibly easy to do as it is glued to hell. The ipad can't be user serviced unless if you have the idiotic apple screws to do so.

 

[Ray8]

Point taken. I do think though, it could be a hit or miss thought, similar to when you jump into your car for the daily drive to work. You could have an accident, the odds are stacked against it, however. I have been using laptops, ad had daily access to others, for many years. The number of unrepairable failures has been minimal. However, possibly a poor comparison, my daily encounters with Desktop nerds (that isn't meant rudely - I am one!), leads me to think that the money spent on constant upgrades to their hardware, to meet modern technology would, in many cases, cover the cost of a periodic update/renewal, of their laptops.

fwiw. By coincidence, I once owned an Acer 21 inch. Big mistake!, it was hardly a laptop. but it had serious inherent overheating errors on the graphic's chip, which eventually led to a breakdown. Maybe the 19 inch faired better? Even today, where I live, you can pick up the 21 inch, s/h, for a song, marked down as a having a faulty graphics chip.

Accidents can happen, things can fail at any time, that's life. But if your only system is one that is all-in-one, then you do have a higher risk. My Acer 19" worked well until I fried the BIOS during an upgrade (it had the most beautiful screen of the time). My Fujitsu laptop was great, until the screen cracked (it still works, but why bother). I've never done any upgrades to my desktops, I usually just get a complete new one (maybe every five years) and each time it's cost way less than the last one.

But having used a dual 24" monitor system for the last six or so years, there's no way I could go back to anything less. I love my 10" tablet for the specific and low-level tasks that I predominantly use it for, but could never use it as a substitute for a desktop.

 

[davehc]

I suppose that is exactly the point I am making. Not so much "Tablets" but laptops. With my docking station, I plug in to an already connected large monitor.

 

[Durahl]

Not now, not tomorrow but someday I'll expect the stationary PC to vanish from the private sector with the likes of a Surface PRO taking their place.

I see it like that... While on the move you use your Tablet-PC as a Tablet with hardware that goes easy on the batteries while still providing "good" performance for longer periods of travel.

Back at home you plug it into a Docking Station that allows the hardware to go into full rage mode giving you the performance of your todays gaming machines. This Dock gives access to like 3-4 Displays, has connectivity for a dedicated Graphic- and Soundcard and will let you use all your peripherals you own since it has all the USB/FireWire/ThunderBolt Plugs in masses.

It'll also house most of your data on higher capacity HDD's and serve as a remote system you can connect to from your Tablet-PC while on the move ( IF you're connected to the Internet ).

 

[Ray8]

Not now, not tomorrow but someday I'll expect the stationary PC to vanish from the private sector with the likes of a Surface PRO taking their place.

I see it like that... While on the move you use your Tablet-PC as a Tablet with hardware that goes easy on the batteries while still providing "good" performance for longer periods of travel.

Back at home you plug it into a Docking Station that allows the hardware to go into full rage mode giving you the performance of your todays gaming machines. This Dock gives access to like 3-4 Displays, has connectivity for a dedicated Graphic- and Soundcard and will let you use all your peripherals you own since it has all the USB/FireWire/ThunderBolt Plugs in masses.

It'll also house most of your data on higher capacity HDD's and serve as a remote system you can connect to from your Tablet-PC while on the move ( IF you're connected to the Internet ).

I'm not sure how a tablet can suddenly go from mild to wild just by attaching it to a docking station, unless you mean the docking station has additional hardware that enhances performance. What you then talking about is having a desktop PC to which your tablet attaches.

That's really no different to having a dedicated PC.